Bite-Size Blog Post #54 - First Dawn of the Year at Dawlish Warren
In this bite sized blog I share with you the story behind my first photograph of 2026.
Starting the Year with an Old Friend
Setting an alarm call for 06:30 on the 1st of January isn’t something I would normally do. It’s not as if I normally stay up the night before celebrating the start of a new year, it’s just that it’s nice to stay in bed sometimes and the 1st of January always seem like the perfect day to do so.
On this occasion though, I’d already had few long mornings in bed over the festive period, and I was itching to get out with the camera and get 2026 off to a flying start! However, I wanted to share the morning sunrise with someone so heading off on a 90 minute walk to a remote tor for sunrise wasn’t an option.
A much more socially acceptable choice would be a lovely walk along a beach somewhere. But where to go? For me there was only one place. Dawlish Warren! It’s only a short drive from home, it’s good for watching sunrise, and it’s a pleasant beach to walk along. And given the number of times I have photographed the beach, I know it can yield good results.
Arriving at Dawlish Warren I could see that lots of other people also thought that a walk along the beach would be a good idea. It wasn’t overly busy, but even for sunrise it was busier than usual. There were even swimmers in the water.
What I tend to do in these situations is head up past groyne number 10 as dogs aren’t allowed past that point. It’s not only quieter, but at low tide you can still get interesting photographs like this one.
It’s not my favourite photograph of Dawlish Warren but it reminds me of what a lovely morning I had watching the sunrise on the 1st of January and if that’s not a good reason for taking a photograph, I don’t know what is.
Happy new year everyone!
Photographing The Daymark - Devon's Coastal Beacon, Landmark and Icon
In this video I head to the south Devon coast on a beautiful summers evening to photograph one of the South West Coast Path's best known landmarks, The Daymark.
Back to the Coast (Nearly)
I’ve been exploring and photographing Dartmoor extensively over the last few years and I loved every minute of it. Well, nearly every minute of it! However, there is so much more to discover in the south west of the UK. The South West Coast Path is perhaps the most obvious choice, and with over 630 miles of coastline to explore, I’d have no shortage of places to go.
So, it’s time for me to branch out and learn more about the South West Coast Path. I have of course photographed some of paths great locations like Trevose Head in Cornwall, but I’ve never spent a significant amount of time exploring what I expect to be a treasure trove of photography locations.
I’m not giving up on Dartmoor, far from it, but I do want to expand my horizons.
To start my South West Coast Path journey, I’m going to revisit a few of the locations I already know, starting with The Daymark, a location I haven’t photographed for some time. So why not join me in my latest video as I explore and photograph The Daymark. And yes, I know it’s not directly on the coast path, but it’s close enough!
Landscape Photographs of The Daymark - South West Coast Path
Daymark Tower #1, Devon, South West Coast Path - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at 23mm, f/13, 1/10 sec at ISO 64.
Daymark Tower #2, Devon, South West Coast Path - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 54mm, f/13, 1/60 sec at ISO 400.
Daymark Tower #3, Devon, South West Coast Path - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 24mm, f/13, 1/5 sec at ISO 400, single image crop at 6:17.
Capturing the Coastal Beauty of Dawlish Warren - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure
There are few better ways to start the day than by watching the sunrise at the beach. So, join me in my latest 5 Minute Photo Adventure as I photograph first light at Dawlish Warren beach in Devon.
The Serenity of Seascape Photography
I am very fortunate to live in Devon as it gives me easy access to the (roughly) 365 square miles of Dartmoor National Park. It’s a photography location with almost limitless opportunities to craft beautiful compositions and to create inspiring photographs.
While I spend much of my photography life wandering Dartmoor and capturing photographs there, I all too often ignore the coast along the southern edge of Devon. This is done on purpose, nor done because I dislike it, I just don’t visit it as much as I should.
During a recent spell of clear blue skies lasting days, if not well over a week, I decided I was long overdue a trip to my local beach at Dawlish Warren. While some clouds in the sky is almost always my preferred state, the beach can sometimes work when there isn’t a cloud to be seen.
So, join me in this 5 Minute Photo Adventure to see how I approached capturing some seascape photos on a clear, and very pleasant morning down at Dawlish Warren.
Dawlish Warren - Seascape Photographs from the South West Coast Path
Here are the photographs you saw me capture in the video.
Dawlish Warren, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 29mm, f/11, 4 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.
Dawlish Warren, Devon - Nikon Z8, Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 30mm, f/11, 90 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL.
Bite-Size Blog Post #37 - Dawlish
In this blog post I head to Dawlish to photograph something a little different but I'm not sure of the results.
And now for something completely different…
Over the last couple of years, I've spent a lot of time photographing Dartmoor. It feels like the only thing I've been photographing! Looking back at the list of blog posts I've published recently it's probably a fair assessment. Apart from the odd deviation, it’s all been Dartmoor, Dartmoor, Dartmoor!
Despite my need for a change of scenery I decided the best place for me to photograph with my next block of available free time would be Dartmoor! After such a good run photographing the heather on Dartmoor, I wanted to push my luck and go for one more shoot. However, while driving to Dartmoor I could clearly see the that the conditions weren't the same as what the weather forecast had predicated. The sky was looking very overcast. Glancing over to the coast however, there were patches of blue sky. A change of plan was needed!
It was already too late to go anywhere too far away like Dorset or Cornwall, so after pulling over to check my map, I settled on Dawlish. I had spotted a large stone groyne last time I was there, and I remember thinking it might make for a good long exposure photograph. I knew the tide was high, but as with any sunset shot there's always a risk that you get there to find the groyne populated with people or anglers.
I needn't have worried as to my surprise it was free of people, so I quickly got to work and captured this photograph.
Dawlish Groyne, South West Coast Path, Devon - Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 24mm, f/13, 15 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters CPL and ND Grad.
Looking at the photograph now, I'm not convinced it works though. I like the tones, the cloud cover and the simplicity of the image. However, I think my main issue is that while the horizon is completely level, the groyne doesn’t appear level in the frame. There’s one simple reason for this and that's because it's not actually level. Well, not at that point on the groyne anyway. It does level of a bit further down, but that would require me to shot it at a lower tide. (Which would also allow the red marker post at the end to be larger in frame).
I think the groyne being unlevel unbalances the composition in a composition where I feel balance is everything. It's also possible that this view simply doesn't work as a photograph. Just because it's a simple composition, and a long exposure, doesn’t make it good. Time will tell. I'll look at it again in a few months and I'll either think it does work, or I wish I hadn't bothered. Well, that’s not true. I'm glad I tried something different. It's important that I did and perhaps I need to do so more often.
Start Point - A 5 Minute Photo Adventure from the South West Coast Path
Grab yourself a cup of coffee because it's time for another 5 Minute Photo Adventure! In this episode, I head to one of my favourite South West Coast Path locations, Start Point Lighthouse in south Devon.
The Challenge of Getting There
There’s only one problem with going to photograph Start Point on the south Devon coast and that’s the effort required to get there. It’s not so much the 50-mile driving distance (37 miles as the crow flies), but more with the time it takes to get there. The journey time for me takes around 90 minutes and while I’m no stranger to making such journeys for the benefit of my landscape photography, it’s the roads that make the journey more challenging.
Once I leave the A38 and start driving towards Kingsbridge the quality and width of the roads start to reduce. Nothing to bad (for Devon standards) but after Kingsbridge things get dull. Lots of small villages with low-speed limits and that last five miles just seems to take an age. It’s not so bad when you are shooting sunrise as there is a lot less traffic, but during the day when you can get caught behind a tractor or a broken-down cement truck and it all becomes very boring.
However, all those complaints about the roads all disappear when you park your car and step out to one of the finest views along the South West Coast Path. Once I’m there, breathing in that glorious sea air I couldn’t care less about how long it took me to get there.
Risk vs Reward
With the apparent extra effort it seems to take to get to Start Point, I don’t go there as much as I might like to. Unlike some other coastal locations where I’ll just take a punt, I’m always looking for favourable conditions before I commit to the drive. Even with a good forecast, there is no guarantee of interesting conditions. There is always an element of risk vs reward. This is especially true when the conditions are a bit stormy or unsettled. In terms of capturing photographs, heading out in these types of conditions is risky, but the rewards can be amazing.
Back in December, I decided that I wanted to return to Start Point and capture some photographs looking at the peninsula from the west. I had checked out this viewpoint a couple of times, but the forecast was predicting some unsettled weather and the opportunity to capture this location with setting sun and some big clouds were too tempting to ignore.
Knowing very well that I could spend 3 hours in the car to end up with not a lot to show for it at the end, I packed my camera bag and set off regardless. Here is how I got on.
I hope you enjoyed my 5 Minute Photo Adventure to Start Point. While the conditions weren’t as dramatic as I might have hoped, I still came away with some images that made the trip worthwhile.
Do you have any locations that seem to be “harder” than others to get to? Let me know in the comments below.
Start Point Photographs
As always here are the photographs you saw me capture in the video. Enjoy!
Sunset at Start Point #1, South West Coast Path, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 44mm, f/11, 1.6 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND.
Sunset at Start Point #2, South West Coast Path, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 39mm, f/11, 2 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL and ND.
Sunset at Start Point #3, South West Coast Path, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-200mm f/4-6.3 at 44mm, f/11, 13 secs at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 CPL.
Sparking My Enthusiasm for Landscape Photography!
There’s nothing quite like a sunrise to spark your passion for landscape photography. Join me on the Devon coast and learn why experiences like this have helped the return of my photographic mojo.
From Photography Dog to Photography God
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post called I Lost My Enthusiasm for Photography. In that post, I shared with you a video in which I talk about how I’ve struggled with my return to landscape photography after lockdown. One thing became clear from the comments and that is I’m not the only one who has struggled with their photography mojo at some point in their life.
As I had such a good response with that video, I was keen to do a follow-up video when my mojo started to return. Well, I’m very pleased to say that my enthusiasm for landscape photography is most certainly on it’ way back. In my previous video I talked about the importance of meeting up with fellow photographers and just getting out with the camera. This is exactly what I have been doing and it’s starting to pay dividends.
After two successful sunset shoots in Cornwall with one of my mates (blog posts coming soon) I was on a bit of a photographic high. I decided to keep riding that high and push to boat out for a sunrise shoot at Dawlish Warren on the south Devon coast. Would it be 3 successful shoots out of 3? Find out in the video below.
The Photographs
As always here are the photographs you saw in the video. Enjoy!
Dawlish Warren #1, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 16mm, f/8, 1 second at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, 3 Stop ND, and 2 stop ND grad.
Dawlish Warren #2, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 21mm, f/9, 238 seconds at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, 10 Stop ND, and 2 stop ND grad.
Dawlish Warren #3, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 18mm, f/13, 1/5th sec at ISO 64, Kase Filters K9 Circular Polariser, 2 stop ND grad.
Have a Plan A, B and C
As my plan C location, I didn't think I would end up at Holne Bridge on Dartmoor to capture this image. But after a failed shoot at my plan B location I was pleased that I'd had the foresight to consider a backup to the backup location.
Plan A
I like Fridays. It’s the end of the working week, the weekend is just around the corner and I’ll probably open a bottle of wine in the evening and eat something with a few red lights on the packaging. More than all that its the day where I almost always get out for a dawn shoot. That doesn’t mean the weather will be good though!
The Friday morning of this blog I had planned to meet up with a friend and fellow photographer for a bit of a catch-up. We were going to head down to the coast to shoot some moody seascapes. The weather forecast was for showers and overcast skies, but hopefully perfect for what we had planned.
Unfortunately my friend had to cancel. This of course isn’t a problem. Life and work sometimes change your priorities. Something of which I’m all too aware of myself. I would of course need a plan B.
Plan B
I could of course stick with plan A, but the location was further than I probably really had time to travel to. This mattered less when I was meeting up with someone, but as this shoot would be on my own I decided that I would pick somewhere closer to home.
Combestone Tor in 2014 - my first and last visit.
As part of my plan to take more risks and be more spontaneous in 2020 I decided that I should try somewhere new. Having just read an article by Ross Hoddinnot on some Dartmoor locations I decided that I must try and photograph Combestone Tor. Though this location wasn’t completely new to me, I had only shot it once some 6 years ago, so I still thought it would still be somewhere fresh for me to shoot.
When Friday morning came round I went outside to take the dog for a quick walk before I headed up to Dartmoor. Despite the weather forecast predicting overcast skies I could see some high cloud and a lot of stars. It looked like it could be a great morning after all!
I had to make a decision. Do I go to the coast and make the most of the sunrise, or stick to my original plan of going to Dartmoor where the weather might well be very different. My closest coastal location is Dawlish Warren and it is very much the safe bet but I have photographed this location many times before. This would not achieve my goal of shooting somewhere new. Despite my gut instincts to go to Dawlish Warren I decided to keep to my plan of going to Dartmoor. I felt it was important to spend some time working on new locations.
The weather up on Dartmoor that morning was as predicted. Very windy and cloudy. Not worry, the point of the visit was not to get a great image but explore the location. And explore I did. However, I never really got inspired. I never even got the camera out. It seems like a location with plenty of potential but I just couldn’t find something I wanted to photograph. Maybe it was just the lack of morning light, or the chilling wind, or maybe I just need a few more visits so I can get to know the location better.
Whatever the problem, I wasn’t going to capture any images there so time for plan C!
Plan C
Holne Bridge, Autumn 2019
I hate to head out with the camera and take no photos, so knowing that this might happen if I went up to Combestone I decided I needed a backup plan. The route up to Combestone fortunately takes me past Holne Bridge. This is a location I’ve photographed a few times, but only in autumn. This tree-lined river location is perfect for catching those wonderful autumnal colours.
I’d never really considered shooting it during the winter. With most of the trees probably being bare I didn’t think it would make for an interesting photograph. However, if I had to drive past it on my way home why not stop and take a photo anyway. I wouldn’t even have to walk very far!
So on the way back from Combestone I pulled over, grabbed my gear and popped down to the river. This was my plan C location so I was a little short on time which meant I didn’t have a lot of time to go exploring for new compositions. I decided that if I wanted to get a shot I would go with what I already knew. I did try a few different angles from a couple of new spots, but I eventually decided that I would capture roughly the same composition that I’d done during a previous visit.
Winter at Holne Bridge, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 24mm, f/11, 0.5 seconds at ISO 320, Kase Filters K9 Holder and CPL.
OK, I’ll admit, it’s not the most original composition that I’ve made, but given it was a bit of a grab shot as part of a backup plan I’m pretty happy with the result. I’d much rather have this image than have nothing at all from the morning. Besides, it was actually rather nice shooting a location in a totally different season. This is something I learnt from my year-long project on Dartmoor that I recently published. In fact it has inspired me to visit this location again in the very near future and not just wait for autumn. I think there is more to this location than just autumn colours.
A bit of a long story from me in this post but I hope you’ve found it enjoyable and that if you don’t normally head out with a plan A, B and C, then it’s maybe time you did.
52 Assignments Landscape Photography by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer - On My Bookshelf S03E02
Are you looking to kickstart your landscape photography in 2020? In this episode of On My Bookshelf, I'm taking a look at 52 Assignments for Landscape Photography by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer. It's packed full of creative assignments but there's really only one way to see how good it is and that is to head out on location and give one of those assignments a try.
OMBS On Location
Most of the photography books featured in On My Bookshelf (OMBS) are normally enjoyed at home with a nice cup of coffee. Every now and again though I get a book that has a more practical element to it and I feel the best way to share my thoughts on it is to go on location with it. I adopted this approach last year when I met up with Nick Livesey to discuss his book Photographing the Snowdonia Mountains.
When I received my copy of 52 Assignments: Landscape Photography by Ross Hoddinott and Mark Bauer I knew straight away that this would be another book that would be best demonstrated on location. The only challenge I had was which of the 52 assignments should I pick!
So join me in the latest episode of OMBS as I share my thoughts on this book and head out to Dartmoor on assignment.
I really hope you enjoyed this episode of OMBS. Santa was good enough to bring me a book on landscape photography that I’ve had on my list for a while now and I hope to bring you that episode of OMBS in the near future.
What do you have planned for your photography in 2020? Do you give yourself any assignments or projects? How do you discover creative ideas and techniques? Let me know in the comments below.
The Photographs
As always, here are the images that you saw in the video. I can’t wait to get back to this location. Hopefully when the light is a bit better and the wind a lot lighter!
West Mill Tor #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 21mm, f/13, 1/8th second at ISO 400, CPL and ND Grad.
West Mill Tor #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm, f/13, 1/3rd second at ISO 400, CPL and ND Grad.
West Mill Tor #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 at 21mm, f/13, 1/8th second at ISO 400, CPL and ND Grad.
Imperfect Panoramas
In the blog this week I head up to Belstone Common on Dartmoor to capture some panoramic images. However, the results aren't exactly perfect.
Ho Ho Ho!
First of all let me wish you a happy Christmas! No matter how or why you celebrate over the festive period I do hope you a good time doing it. Even though I've written this blog post before Christmas day I can feel pretty sure I had a good time at Christmas myself. It's fair to say I'm probably a little fatter but also a little happier for having spent some time with my family. Besides, a little time away from the camera can also be beneficial.
I didn't write this blog post just to tell you how fat I've got but rather to tell you about a recent trip to Dartmoor I had and how the images I captured didn't exactly work out. Don't worry though, it's not a long tale of disasters and epic challenges that will take you half an hour to read. I just thought I'd briefly share the story of that morning. I'll have you back to mince pies and brandy before you know it.
Creating Panoramic Images
The reason I was up on Belstone Common was that I was looking for new locations to capture panoramic images, with a view of creating a video to show how I got about capturing them. My original plan was to shoot the video when I was up in Scotland at the end of October, but rubbish weather put a stop to that. Never mind though, it's not as if Dartmoor doesn't have any locations worth visiting is it!
Belstone Common is one of my favourite places on Dartmoor to capture landscape photographs but I don't ever remember going up there to take panoramic images. As I was already familiar with the location capturing panoramic images would be easy, right? Well, I hadn't really given much thought as to how different it would be and so when I got up to the location an obvious panoramic composition didn't jump out to me as I thought it might.
Belstone Panorama #1, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 28mm, f/13, 1.3 seconds at ISO 100, Kase Filters CPL. Seven vertical image panorama at 16:7.
What I was finding was that just because I had a viewpoint that would normally work well with a wide angle lens, that didn’t mean I could also make a panoramic out of it. The main challenge was that the locations where I would normally stand were close to some of the tors, but I couldn’t get far enough away to make a panoramic image work, without losing sight of the tors. This was going to be more difficult than I thought. Difficult but not impossible though.
As I was up there for sunrise the conditions were changing quickly so I got myself in a bit of panic as I struggled to find a suitable composition. This is where the problems can start. Being in a rush is never a good thing for photography. I kept second guessing myself as to where I should be so I would take my shots in a bit of a rush. In addition it was also freezing up on Dartmoor. There was a bit of a wind and I was trying not to wear gloves so I could use the camera more easily (and quickly).
Belstone Panorama #2, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 65mm, f/13, 1/4th second at ISO 100, Kase Filters CPL. Seven vertical image panorama at 16:7.
So here lies the problem with the images you see on this blog post. While I know the compositions still need a little work, they are technically flawed. You might not even notice the flaws with the resolution you are looking at them but trust me they are a little bit "soft". This purely down to poor technique because I was rushing things. I should have taken into account the strength of the wind, and also let the camera settle down between frames. All stuff I already knew I had to do.
Why am I telling you this and sharing these imperfect panoramas? This blog has always been about sharing my successes and failures. We all get things wrong every now and again, and I'm no different. Photography isn't all about 5 star images. In fact sometimes it's not even about 2 star images! So don't worry if you've got something wrong and a shoot went badly. It happens to everyone and it's part of being a photographer.
Belstone Panorama #3, Dartmoor, Devon - Panasonic Lumix S1R, Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 at 25mm, f/13, 0.4 seconds at ISO 100, Kase Filters CPL. Seven vertical image panorama at 16:7.
So was my trip to Belstone a waste of time? No. Being outside to witness the start of a new day on Dartmoor is never a bad thing. Have you had any photography disasters? Have you been out on a shoot that just went wrong? Let me know in the comments below.
Feeling the Pressure of Landscape Photography
In the blog this week I head up to Belstone Common on Dartmoor to capture some landscape photographs. I also discuss some of the pressure I feel while out with my camera.
Is Landscape Photography Stressful?
Is landscape photography stressful? For me at least, no. Being outdoors with my camera is one of the most relaxing and sometimes exciting things I get to do. However, I do sometimes put myself under a bit of pressure. My time out with the camera is limited, so I always want to make the most of the time I do have.
The pressure really comes from trying to make the right decision on where to go. Sometimes the answer is clear and the location to go obvious. Other times, it can be a real headache. I probably spend too much time worrying about where to go if I’m honest.
When I’m out though, all that pressure goes. I’m outdoors, I’ve got my camera, and I’m having fun. Even if the photography is rubbish, I’m still outside enjoying the great outdoors!
While I was up on Dartmoor the other day, I decided to put these thoughts to camera while I was out capturing some dawn images of Belstone Common.
I hope you enjoyed the video. Do you put yourself under pressure for your photography? Is being outdoors generally more important than the photography? Let me know in the comments below.
Belstone Common, Dartmoor
Here are the photographs you saw in the video. Enjoy!
First Light at Belstone, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 @ 16 mm, f/13, 3 secs @ ISO 64.
Dawn on Belstone Common, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 @ 16 mm, f/13, 5 secs @ ISO 64.
Belstone Tor and Belstone Common at Dawn, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 @ 26 mm, f/13, 3 secs @ ISO 64.
Who Left All These Rocks Here, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 @ 17 mm, f/5.6, 1/13 secs @ ISO 64, focus stacked image.
A Stormy Sunday at Start Point
In this blog post I head to Start Point on the south Devon coast to capture some landscape photographs during some stormy weather.
Risk vs Reward
As the crow flies, Start Point in Devon isn’t that far from home. Thanks to some narrow, twisty Devon roads though, the journey there can take up to an hour and a half each way. For that reason, I tend to only visit the location if I think I’m going to get a good photo.
Spectacular sunrises work well at Start Point so I’m always looking at which direction the sun is rising from and what the cloud cover will be before I commit to a trip to one of my favourite lighthouses on the South West Coast Path. The weather forecast for my most recent trip was a little different though. Heavy rain showers and thick cloud were forecast, but it was also forecast to start clearing around sunrise.
This could lead to some spectacular and dramatic weather conditions if everything happens at the right time. Would the risk of travelling all that way reward me with some spectacular landscape photographs?
Stormy Weather Landscape Photography
Despite the 5 am alarm calling causing my brain to become a little muddled when talking to the camera, I did manage to record my South West Coast Path adventure at Start Point. So sit back, relax, keep warm, and join me at Start Point for a spot of landscape photography!
I hope you enjoyed watching my little adventure to Start Point. Which image was your favourite? Have you been to Start Point before? Do you like capturing landscape images during stormy weather? Let me in the comments below.
My Landscape Photographs from Start Point
If you’d like to see the photographs from the video in a bit more detail, here they are.
Breaking Light at Start Point, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 18 mm, f/13, 2 seconds at ISO 64, polariser, ND grad.
Calm in the Storm at Start Point, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 18 mm, f/13, 81 seconds at ISO 64, polariser, ND grad, 6 stop ND.
Start Point Swirls, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 22 mm, f/13, 60 seconds at ISO 64, polariser, ND grad, 6 stop ND.
A Stormy Dawn at Start Point Lighthouse, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 22 mm, f/13, 1.3 seconds at ISO 64, polariser, ND grad.
Is It Time to Ditch the Nikon D850?
In this blog post I ponder the idea of going to a mirrorless camera system.
Goodbye D850, Hello Mirrorless?
Some people consider the Nikon D850 the best DSLR there currently is. This might well be true, but cameras with a flapping mirror (DSLRs) are a dying bred. Mirrorless cameras have been on the rise for some time now and at some point I expect the DSLR to go the same way as the film camera.
There are many reasons why mirrorless cameras are better. They generally have better tech in them such as a wider spread of AF points and EVFs. While you could say that mirrorless cameras are technically superior, does that mean if you still own a DSLR that you should be looking to get rid of it as soon as possible and replace it with a mirrorless camera?
We all know that a camera doesn’t make a poor photographer great, but the correct choice of camera can make the process of capturing an image easier or more enjoyable. This is one of the reasons why I upgraded from my D750 to the D850. There was nothing wrong with my D750, it’s just that the D850 had some features that I wanted that ultimately improved my process of capturing images.
I’m now at the stage where I am seriously considering moving to a mirrorless system. Not because there is anything wrong with my D850, it’s just that some of that new mirrorless tech could improve my process of capturing images.
So is it time to ditch the Nikon D850? Let’s find out.
It’s a Matter of When Not If
For me, the move away from the Nikon D850 to the Nikon Z camera system is a matter of when not if. I’m not in a hurry though. After all, my current gear is hardly causing me issues. But, I do believe the Z system will offer me more. A better wide angle zoom in the 14-30 mm f/4, and that all important EVF. Unless I have a change in circumstances, I expect to have, at least in part, moved over the Z system in 2019.
If for some reason that doesn’t happen. I’ll still be capturing wonderful images with my trusty Nikon D850.
Are you considering changing from a DSLR to a mirrorless system? Do you already have a mirrorless camera? Do you have a Nikon Z camera? Let me know in the comments below.
Those Landscape Photographs from Dartmoor
If you want to take a closer look at those images I captured in video from Great Staple Tor, you can check them out below.
A Wintry Dawn on Great Staple Tor, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 25 mm, f/11, 1/4th sec at ISO 64.
Roos Tor and Great Mis Tor Panorama from Great Mis Tor, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 70 mm, f/11, 1/40th sec at ISO 64, 11 stitch panorama.
A Dusting of Snow on Great Staple Tor, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 21 mm, f/13, 1/6th sec at ISO 64.
3 GREAT Landscape Photography Locations on Dartmoor
What are the best locations on Dartmoor for landscape photography? In this blog article, I'm going to show you 3 GREAT landscape photography locations on Dartmoor that I think will inspire you to photograph Dartmoor!
Landscape Photography on Dartmoor
Dartmoor National Park covers over 950 km2 so you can be forgiven for being a bit overwhelmed with the sheer number of landscape photography locations to choose from. Fear not though! I’m here to help.
After the positive feedback I received for my video 3 GREAT Landscape Photography Locations in Cornwall, I decided to produce for Dartmoor locations. Guess what I called it? Yes, that’s right 3 GREAT Landscape Photography Locations on Dartmoor! The locations I visit in the video aren’t necessarily a top 3 or best 3, just 3 great locations that I think will inspire your landscape photography.
After many hours of being frozen and blown about, I’m very happy to share with you the video, 3 GREAT Landscape Photography Location on Dartmoor.
A Bonus 4th Location
I’m also very happy to share with you a bonus 4th location. Wistman’s Wood is a popular Dartmoor location for landscape photographers and for good reason. Unfortunately the day I visited there was very little wind and so the midges were out and that made capturing images and video very difficult. Despite the challenges of the day though, I still managed to create a video that I hope you will enjoy.
More Information on Those Locations
If you want a bit more information on these amazing locations or the images from the video, then I've already published blog posts on the featured locations:
You can also see my 5 Minute Photo Adventure video of Belstone Common (where I shot the intro to the video), right here.
All Those Landscape Photographs
Here all the images you saw in both videos:
What Next?
As with the Cornwall video, the Dartmoor video required a significant amount of effort to produce. However, despite the work required I would like to create more videos like this. If there are other locations in the south-west that you would like to me to make a video on then let me know in the comments below.
Rippon Tor
The weather conditions on Dartmoor can change rapidly so sometimes it's worth hanging about to see if things improve. In the blog this week you can find out if my patience was rewarded when I recently visited Rippon Tor to capture some landscape images.
Big Blue Skies
The weather recently has been a bit of a mixed bag. Some days it's been grey, overcast and frankly a bit miserable. Not that you can't do landscape photography in bad weather, but it can limit your options. At the opposite end of the weather scale is the clear blue sky days. This type of weather is rather pleasant in the winter, but I don't find it inspires my landscape photography.
As I was checking the local forecast on my favourite weather service one evening all I could see was clear blue skies for the following day. It certainly didn't look like optimal conditions for a bit of landscape photography but I'm not one to pass up an opportunity to get out with my D850. As the weather forecast was largely the same for South West as a whole, I decided there was little point in travelling any further than my local area. But where could I go? Dartmoor of course!
Rippon Tor, Dartmoor
My preference when shooting the open moorland of Dartmoor is to have interesting skies. As this was not going to be the case for this shoot, I decided I would get myself to an elevated position. One of the closest high points for me is Rippon Tor at 473m. While definitely not the highest point on Dartmoor, it still offers impressive views of the Haytor area. Even though clear skies were forecast, the elevated viewpoint can help you take advantage of any distance haze in the sky. This can light up nicely in the right conditions and provide some nice interest in the sky when shooting with a long lens.
When I woke the following morning and left the house I could see clear skies and the stars above so it was looking like the forecast was going to be fairly accurate. As I headed up to Dartmoor things started to look very different. By the time I'd reached the car park for Rippon Tor, things looked very cloudy indeed!
It was pretty windy at the top of Rippon Tor, but that was to be expected. What wasn't expected was the amount of cloud. It was that fast moving type of cloud that always looks like it's about to clear but never seems to. Things didn't look much clearer down towards the coast where the sun was going to rise. Not one to be put off I thought it was worth hanging about to see if things would improve.
Just 5 Minutes More
Your enthusiasm can wear off quickly when it's cold and windy on Dartmoor. As the time for sunrise passed and it didn't look like things were going to improve, I was ready to give up and head home for a coffee. No sooner had I zipped up my bag though, the sky started to clear and the sun peaked up over the cloud and started bathing the scene in the soft morning light. I quickly unpacked the camera and took this shot.
Dawn on Rippon Tor, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 29 mm, f/11, 1/4 second at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
In retrospect, I didn't really take enough time to arrange my composition. I think the image would have worked a little better with a slightly more elevated view of the foreground. However, time was very much against me. Though the sun had just risen above the cloud, sunrise itself was a good 15 minutes earlier, and so the light was already getting harsher. I had to work fast to make the most of that lovely morning light on the side of the tor and on the undulations of the ground.
Now that I was back in the mood for taking some landscape photographs I decided I would capture a panorama. On a recent trip Fingle Bridge I met up with fellow landscape photographer Neil Porter and he recommended to me a relatively inexpensive levelling head. This great bit of kit would greatly simplify the process of levelling my camera in preparation for capturing a panoramic image.
The View from Rippon Tor (Panorama), Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 52 mm, f/11, 1/10th second at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser, 9 image stitch cropped at 6:17.
Shortly after capturing that image the weather conditions had improved markedly and in need of a cup of coffee, I decided that I'd had the best of the morning light. As I walked down from the tor I kept thinking about how upset I would have been with myself if I'd been in the car driving home only to see the conditions improve from the road. I was lucky that I hadn't packed up 10 minutes earlier!
How long do you wait before you give up waiting for the weather to change? Has your patience paid off and you've captured an amazing image? Let me know in the comments below.
Holne Bridge
Inspired by the autumnal colours I had seen at Fingle Bridge the previous week, this week I head to Holne Bridge on Dartmoor to see how the autumn colours are along the River Dart.
Embracing Autumn on Dartmoor
I don't know if it's my imagination but the autumn colours in Devon, especially Dartmoor seem to be much more vibrant this year. The yellows, oranges, and browns are really standing out on the trees. Woodlands are looking particularly spectacular.
After seeing the wonderful colours down at Fingle Bridge the other week, I was determined to get out again and make the most of this special time of year. But where to go? Easy. My custom Google Map to the rescue again! Holne Bridge on the River Dart was another location that had been on my map for a while, and this seemed to be the perfect time to go.
Holne Bridge
Though the weather forecast for that day was for rain showers, there was going to be a break for a few hours in the morning so off I headed to Dartmoor. I parked up just on the other side of Holne Bridge and started walking along the banks of the Dart. As expected the colours were brilliant, but it also appeared that the strong wind from the previous days had removed a lot of leaves from their branches.
Not to be discouraged by this I got the camera set up and took this image of the river Dart from the east side of the bridge.
Autumn on the River Dart, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 25 mm, f/13, 10 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Just as I started getting into my photography it started raining. At first, I thought it was just a light shower, but the rain started to come down heavily. I soon regretted not taking my waterproof jacket! Never mind, I packed the camera away and decided that this would be a good time to do some exploring. My weather app told me the rain was due to stop in 20 mins so I wouldn't have long to wait.
While I was exploring the river bank looking for compositions, I spotted some woodland on the opposite side that I thought might suit an ICM shot. I had started experimenting with ICM when I was in Harris and Lewis and was interested enough with the results to try it again.
Holne ICM, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 34 mm, f/8, 1.3 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser.
As you can see I need to work on my ICM technique and compositions a bit more. However, it did at least pass the time until the rain shower had passed.
Once the rain had passed it was back to the job of capturing of autumnal images of the river Dart. There was still a fair amount of water flowing down the river making capturing engaging images a little more tricky. Too little water and the river looks dirty and bare, too much water and you just end up with a white blur.
To make sure the river represented an important element in the composition I headed upstream from the bridge until I got a place where the water was cascading around and over some large boulders.
Unfortunately, this was one of the very last images I had time to take that morning and I was soon heading home. Happy with the shots I had captured that morning the only problem I had was whether I should return again, go back to Fingle Bridge or try and find another autumnal location for my next trip out with the camera.
What types of shot do you like to take during autumn? Have you tried ICM? What is your favourite season to photograph? Let me know in the comments.
Fingle Bridge
In the blog this week I head to Fingle Bridge on Dartmoor to shoot some autumnal woodlands but some unexpected weather causes a change of plan.
Discovering Fingle Bridge on Dartmoor
I first learnt about the woodlands around Fingle Bridge on Dartmoor in Outdoor Photography magazine in their Locations Guide section (one of my favourite features in the magazine). I can't remember which issue it was in, but I do remember seeing the photograph and then putting the location straight onto my custom Google map.
This was a couple of years ago and since then I've only been back a couple of times, and generally without much success. I filmed one of my earliest YouTube videos there, so if you want to see how much I've improved my videos you can check that video out here.
Remembering Fingle Bridge
My original plan for the morning was to head up to the open moorland of Dartmoor and perhaps shoot Great Mis Tor or Great Staple Tor. The problem with that plan was the weather forecast. The morning sky was going to be largely clear with no cloud. Without some interest in the sky, I wasn't sure it would be worth photographing those Dartmoor locations.
I wasn't however, going to pass up the opportunity to get out with the camera just because of a clear blue sky. A quick scan of my custom Google map and I remembered all about Fingle Bridge. Perfect I thought! I could shoot the woodlands from the top of the valley for sunrise and then head down into the woodland as it gets lighter.
Misty Dartmoor
Arriving at Fingle Bridge it was still dark with only a hint of light from the sun. With sunrise still at least an hour away, I put on my head torch and started the walk up the Hunters Path. It was an interesting walk through the dark woodlands. When I pointed my head torch into the woodland I could several pairs of eyes staring back at me. I assumed they were deer and not some sort of wild beast or cat that prowls Dartmoor!
As I approached the top of the valley and got above the tree line I could see the valley and woodland stretch out before me. In the distance towards Hunters Tor I thought I could make out some low lying mist. We all know how attracted to mist landscape photographers, and I'm no different, so I decided to go an investigate.
Hunter's Tor is at the other end of the valley from Fingle Bridge so it was further than I had planned on walking. I'd given myself plenty of time that morning though so was able to extend my walk without missing sunrise.
Being Indecisive
Arriving at Hunter's Tor I could see a beautiful blanket of mist to the west. There were two small problems though. Firstly, it wasn't covering the woodland, and secondly, it was very thick and you couldn't actually see much of the land below.
It was at this point I got a little indecisive. I thought I could hang about Hunter's Tor and wait for it clear a little, or I could head back along the valley and shoot the mist from further away, or revert back to my original plan. I decided to head back along the valley.
By the time I got halfway back along the valley path the mist had started to clear, so I decided to head back to Hunter's Tor! Even though the sun hadn't risen, the mist was clearing fast so I had to run! Back at Hunter's Tor, I decided to make the most of the frosty conditions and mist, and captured these images:
Hunter's Tor on a Frosty Morning, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 16 mm, f/13, 15 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters ND Grad.
Frosty Fingle, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 16-35 mm f/4 at 22 mm, f/8, 0.8 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters ND Grad, focus stacked image.
Autumnal Colours along the River Teign
After capturing those images I decided that I would head back down to Fingle Bridge and maybe capture some shots of the River Teign. As I packed up and started the walk back I bumped into local photographer Neil Porter. I hadn't met Neil before but I was aware of his excellent work and we soon got chatting.
Neil offered me a lift back to Fingle Bridge which I gratefully accepted. The heated seats in his car were very welcome after standing on that frosty tor for an hour!
Arriving at Fingle Bridge we headed along the river and into the woodland to find the autumnal colours looking glorious. Neil has a lot of experience in shooting this area and he informed me that the colours would get even better over the next week or so. I made a mental note that I would need to come back to Fingle Bridge again very soon.
Autumn at the River Teign, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 VR at 42 mm, f/11, 3 seconds at ISO 64, Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad.
Soon after capturing that image we started to see a few more photographers arrive. Happy with what I got, and with the need to get home, I left Neil and the other photographers to carry on shooting this beautiful autumnal location.
New Dartmoor Video
I hope you enjoyed the photographs from this location. If you did you might be pleased to know that I also did some filming while I was taking those images. The video from Fingle Bridge will feature in a Dartmoor video that I'm currently producing. I'm not sure when it will be out, but stay tuned to the blog, and be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Have you photographed Fingle Bridge before? What is your favourite autumnal location? Let me know in the comments below.
From Dartmoor to Dawlish
In the blog this week, I head to Dartmoor to shoot sunset, and then the following day head to Dawlish Warren to shoot sunrise.
A Good Time of Year
Late September is a good time for landscape photography. Sunset isn’t too late, and sunrise isn’t too early. This means I can do both back to back without feeling like it just killed me. I still remember back in July this year when I photographed Daymark tower for sunset and then Start Point for sunrise. While I had a lot of fun with the friends that joined me, the late finish and very early start just about killed me.
When some welcome settled weather came in recently, I thought I would maximise my shooting opportunities and go out and photograph both sunset and sunrise. But where would I go?
Dusk at Dartmoor
As is normally the way, I was, of course a little short of time so I had to go somewhere local. Fortunately for me, I live near Dartmoor so I’m a little spoilt for locations on my doorstep. Though the weather was settled, it was looking like there would be little in the way of cloud.
I had a number of ideas of what to shoot including the view from Rippon Tor and Honeybag Tor, but the conditions just weren’t going to be right for those elevated viewpoints. I remembered that Haytor Rocks often gets the evening light so I decided to photograph it from Saddle Tor. By photographing from Saddle Tor I could position Haytor Rocks above the horizon and into the only real interesting part of the sky that evening.
Haytor Rocks at Dusk, Dartmoor, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 at 62 mm, 1/3 sec at ISO 64, f/11. Lee Filters ND Grad, single image crop at 6:17.
The image I took is actually a panoramic crop from a single frame. My original composition had Haytor in the lower third of the frame with the rest of the frame being taken up by the sky. My original “big sky” shot might have worked a little better if there had been a bit more interest in the sky, but the lower band of haze in the sky was the only area to get colour. As it turned out, I rather like the panoramic crop so can be reasonably happy with the final output.
Dawn at Dawlish Warren
The morning weather forecast for the following day looked to have a bit more cloud so I decided to head to one of my favourite locations, Dawlish Warren. I tend not to visit Dawlish Warren during the summer months but now sunrise isn’t so early I decided it was time to visit my old friend.
Shooting at dawn is one of my favourite times of the day. There is a sense of excitement as the sun starts to rise and deliver some of its magical morning light. On this morning though, that display of golden light probably wasn’t going to happen. You can plan all you like, check tides, and look at weather forecasts, but if a bank of cloud happens to position itself in the wrong location, all that amazing light you were looking for can be lost.
It’s important to remember though that good morning light can occur 30 minutes before and after sunrise. Even though I didn’t get the best of the light as the sun approached the horizon, I’m glad I stuck around to capture this long exposure.
Into the Sea, Dawlish Warren, Devon - Nikon D850, Nikkor 24-70 mm f/2.8 at 48 mm, 339 seconds at ISO 64, f/11. Lee Filters Circular Polariser and ND Grad,
While this image was captured after sunrise, the long exposure helps capture what light there was and the calmness of the ocean that morning.
It’s always fascinating to see how other photographers interpret the same scene so I was really interested to see how Neil Burnell, who was with me that morning, shot the same scene. Check out his Instagram post to see his take on the beach that morning.
What is your favourite time of day to shoot? Do you use techniques like ICM or long exposures to create a sense of mood? Let me know in the comments below.